With locations from North America to Dubai to Singapore, FET needs to make its corporate data available to a widely dispersed user base to support productivity and client service. Previously, the company had relied on a consumer file sharing service with many individual accounts. IT did not have visibility into all of those accounts. “We needed to find a solution that could enable data sharing across our enterprise easily and cost-efficiently while providing a single point of control,” says Forum Energy Technologies, Ishq Davis – IT Enterprise Project Manager.

FET makes extensive use of Citrix throughout its server and endpoint environment. For file sync and sharing, the company chose a hosted implementation of Citrix ShareFile, which it uses to provide an enterprise data service for users around the world. Key use cases include FET’s legal department, which has moved its entire global folder structure into ShareFile, and finance, which uses the service to manage end-of-quarter documents from everywhere the company operates to a single location. Another division uses ShareFile to share application software support files with clients. Many FET engineering projects are managed through ShareFile, which makes it possible to share design files and other documentation easily across borders to support work anywhere.

Key Benefits

Increasing productivity and responsiveness across distributed teams

ShareFile helps members of distributed teams share and access the latest documents and revisions to support collaboration. “I’m on multiple global projects, and anytime I need to get project updates or documentation, I know where to go, with no issues about time zones or geographic locations,” says Forum Energy Technology, Ishq Davis – IT Enterprise Project Manager. “We’ve become much more efficient in being able to access and share files in a short period of time.” FET also uses the service extensively to share files with clients, as well as to support the bidding process. The company simply loads the RFP into ShareFile to be accessed by all members of the deal team, eliminating the need to forward emails around the company. Forum Energy Technologies employees can now access information more quickly, easily, and efficiently.

Empowering mobile employees with self-service access to data

Several top executives at Forum Energy Technologies use ShareFile as a local shared drive for all their folders, making it possible for them to access all their files even while traveling overseas. “Having ShareFile hosted in the cloud helps people communicate with clients and stay productive even while away from the corporate network,” says Forum Energy Technologies, Ishq Davis – IT Enterprise Project Manager. Business groups can also perform their own administration, such as adding new clients into the service quickly and easily, without needing to contact IT. “Self-service administration has made our users 85 percent more self-reliant with ShareFile compared to the consumer file sharing solution we were using before,” says Forum Energy Technologies, Ishq Davis – IT Enterprise Project Manager. As a result, his group has been able to shift from primary support to a secondary role, responding more quickly in cases that do require higher-level assistance.

Provides full visibility and auditability for data usage

Unlike the previous consumer file sharing solution, Forum Energy Technologies ShareFile service is entirely self-managed. “With our previous solution, there was no way for me to audit usage or manage users, and we didn’t have many controls in place. With ShareFile, we can manage and administer our accounts in-house. With increased control, we have immediate access to our files, manage compliance with regard to permissions and reduce our reliance on the vendor. With our previous solution, all administration activities included the involvement of the other vendor,” says Forum Energy Technologies, Ishq Davis – IT Enterprise Project Manager. Each quarter, the company’s auditors review access and usage of folders containing sensitive data.

Looking ahead

“Our users are now able to access and share files much more quickly, and my own group has become more productive as well,” says Forum Energy Technologies, Ishq Davis – IT Enterprise Project Manager. Building on its successes to date, FET’s is proceeding to make ShareFile available to users throughout its global enterprise.

With our previous solution, there was no way for me to audit usage or manage users, and we didn’t have many controls in place. With ShareFile, we can manage/admin our accounts in-house. With increased control, we have immediate access to our files, manage compliance with regard to permissions and reduce our reliance on the vendor. With our previous solution, all administration activities included the involvement of the other vendor.

- Ishq Davis

IT Enterprise Project Manager

Forum Energy Technologies

About Citrix

Citrix (NASDAQ:CTXS) is a leader in mobile workspaces, providing virtualization, mobility management, networking and cloud services to enable new ways to work better. Citrix solutions power business mobility through secure, personal workspaces that provide people with instant access to apps, desktops, data and communications on any device, over any network and cloud. This year Citrix is celebrating 25 years of innovation, making IT simpler and people more productive. With annual revenue in 2013 of $2.9 billion, Citrix solutions are in use at more than 330,000 organizations and by over 100 million users globally. Learn more at www.citrix.com